


The Road Less Traveled

by CubbieGirl1723



Series: The Path [3]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, College, F/M, Post-Season/Series 03, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 10:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20637794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubbieGirl1723/pseuds/CubbieGirl1723
Summary: The path isn't always smooth, but the destination is worth the bumps along the journey.Logan and Veronica navigate the challenges of a long-distance college relationship.





	The Road Less Traveled

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something that popped into my brain as I was trying to recover from Season 4.

“I did it!” Veronica’s voice squeals in Logan’s ear through the phone. He wishes he could see the grin that must accompany those words. 

“You finalized your plans to come see my new place?” he guesses, stretching out his legs on his coffee table and enjoying the ocean view through his panoramic living room windows. He moved into his house two weeks ago and hasn’t stopped bugging Veronica to visit ever since. 

“I took your advice and signed up for a photography class next fall.” She pauses, tone smug, before continuing, “And yes, I’m coming straight to Neptune after finals.”

“After finals? Veronica, that’s three weeks away,” he whines. “I can’t wait that long. I’m...deprived.”

She laughs at his pain. “Depraved is more like it. You were the one who wanted long-distance. Said it would help us work on talking, remember, instead of just—”

“I never wanted long distance,” Logan grumbles, adjusting his pants. It’s bad when just her voice turns him on. “I settled for it. And when you’re here, you’ll have to see your dad and Mac and Wallace and—”

“Okay, fine. Do you have plans this weekend?”

He’s speechless. _ Is she actually offering to come visit him...just because he misses her? _

“Logan? Are you there?”

“Uh, yeah, of course. No plans this weekend.” He clears his throat. “Why?”

“Because you’re right, I’ll be busy when I’m home before my internship this summer. And I can’t picture you in your house when we’re talking and that’s unacceptable.”

He gulps. That’s an utterly ridiculous reason to drive six hours. He might cry. 

“Liar. You just miss the sex,” he banters to cover his emotions.

Her laughter rings out over the phone line again, genuinely amused. It’s one of his top...three favorite sounds. 

“You’ve got me. It’s a booty call. I had some classes get canceled. I can be there Friday afternoon.”

“That—that sounds great.” Logan still can’t quite believe she’s coming to visit. “And Veronica?”

“Yeah?”

“Pack light. You won’t need much in the way of clothing.”

He swears he can hear the eye roll in her pause. 

“See you Friday, boyfriend.”

He’s still smiling long after she hangs up. 

* * *

Logan skips his morning classes on Friday, too excited about seeing Veronica to focus. He wants to make sure everything around his house is perfect for her. 

Yeah, he has a housekeeper, and it’s not entirely furnished yet, but he desperately wants to make a good impression. 

_ It’s just a house, no big deal, _ he tells himself. But it’s _ his _ house. Not his parents’ ugly mansion, but the place he actually likes to call home. He spent hours with the builder, picking out designs and perfecting the floor plan. He’s _ invested _. 

After Veronica left Neptune for Stanford, he, admittedly, struggled. That summer was rough. But ultimately he decided he was not going to give his critics the satisfaction of flushing his life down the toilet. That meant moving out of his suite at the Neptune Grand. There were too many memories there, anyway. 

So he got an apartment, learned how to take care of himself, and after two months, decided he was done with the three flights of stairs, thin shared walls, and crappy parking. A house was a good investment, even if he didn’t know how long he’d be there. They started building in November and he closed in March. It’s been two weeks and the novelty is still fresh. 

He glances around his living room again, smoothing out the blanket he draped over the arm of the couch for Veronica. She always gets cold when they watch movies. Maybe she’ll want—

His musings are interrupted by the slam of a car door. Sprinting to his front door, he throws it open. Veronica saunters up his sidewalk, cool as a cucumber, but he rushes to her and scoops her up in a spinning hug. 

Setting her back on her feet, Logan tucks an errant strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Hi.”

Grinning up at him—-her wide, authentic smile—she presses up on her tiptoes and brushes her lips against his. 

“Hi yourself.”

They stare goofily at each other for a moment. Logan can’t believe she’s really here. Tightening his arms around her, he kisses her deeply, leaves her breathless.

“What will your neighbors think?” Veronica giggles and cranes her head around but his street is deserted. He lives in a neighborhood but the houses are spaced pretty far apart for privacy and there are pine trees between him and the nearest house. Just one of the many things that appealed to him about this location. The fact that his sprawling ranch is at the end of the road and his deck leads right out onto a private beach doesn’t hurt either.

“Is that your way of angling for an invite?” He steals another quick kiss.

“Yep, you got me.”

“Would you like to come inside?” He holds open the front door and gestures like a butler.

She gives him a tiny smile as she crosses the threshold and gazes around his entryway. The office is visible off to the right, the hallway leading to the bedrooms is on the left. Stepping into his open-concept living room, she trails her fingers over the back of the L-shaped sectional couch, takes in the high ceiling, and stops in front of a framed picture of the two of them, proudly displayed on his end table. 

Logan had snapped it when he visited her over spring break. Their smiling faces are practically bursting out of the image and his heart lurches as she stares at it. Veronica brushes her fingers over the glass and then spins to face him. 

“Can I get a tour? A proper one this time, with walls and everything?”

Grabbing her hand, Logan pulls her into the stainless steel and marble kitchen. He shows off the freezer, stocked with her favorite kinds of ice cream, and admits that his housekeeper, Mrs. O’Connell, does most of his cooking. But he’s learning and that’s something.

He drags her through the living room and down the staircase to the basement, his primary entertaining space. Set up with a large flat-screen TV and a PS3 in the main room, there’s also a pool table, foosball, and a game room for poker night. He’s promised to have Dick and Wallace over soon.

Back upstairs and through the other side of the living room, he propels her through the French patio doors and shows off the wrap-around deck. The view of the ocean is breathtaking and the steps down off the deck lead straight to the sandy beach. The deck runs the length of the back of his house, around to the hot tub right outside of the doors to the master bedroom.

Dipping his fingers in the water, he waggles his eyebrows at Veronica.

“Did you bring your bathing suit, Bobcat?”

She widens her eyes and bats her lashes innocently. “You said to pack light so...I guess I’ll have to go skinny dipping.”

Logan knows she’s joking but still the thought—and the sex kitten voice—make him instantly hard. 

Clearing his throat, he offers, “We can go back inside this way.”

He types in the code on the keypad and opens the door to his bedroom. Veronica shoots him a sly look out of the corner of her eye. Maybe bringing her in through the master suite is not as smooth of a move as he first thought.

Closing the door behind him, he gestures around at the space.

“This is my room.”

She takes in his vaulted ceiling, mounted television, fireplace, and sitting area before pouncing onto his king-size bed. Veronica lays back on his fluffy down comforter and gazes at the ceiling. 

“Yeah, this is nice.” She stretches, arching her back and pushing her breasts out, straining the fabric of her t-shirt against them. She clearly doesn’t know what that does to him. 

Gulping, Logan adjusts his pants and crawls onto the bed next to her.

“I have guest bedrooms, too. But you’re staying here.”

Veronica rolls on her side, head propped up on her hand, and gazes at him, never wavering.

“Bossy.” She leans forward and captures his mouth in a kiss. 

“Yep,” he agrees. “My house, my rules.” She doesn’t really need the rest of the tour, Logan decides as he pulls her shirt over her head. This is the most important spot anyway.

_________

After grilling hamburgers together in his outdoor kitchen, they share an Adirondack chair and sip wine coolers, enjoying the view from the deck.

Veronica snuggles in his lap, legs across the arm of his chair, eyes closed contentedly, when he sets his bottle down with a decisive clunk.

“I have some news.”

She sits up straighter, shifting to see his face.

“I didn’t mention it earlier but—I made some plans for this summer. I’m doing an internship at Gant Publishing.”

“Logan, that’s great! I’m so excited for you.” Her smile falters, though, replaced with confusion...or something harder. “I didn’t even know you applied. Why didn’t you tell me about it sooner?”

“It fell into place yesterday.” He shrugs, not wanting her to turn it into a big deal. 

Veronica gives an exaggerated sigh. “I’m clearly wasting my money, paying Mac and Wallace to keep tabs on you. They told me nothing about this.”

“Tabs? On moi?” Logan is mock-offended. “Don’t you trust me?”

He winces. _ That's the million dollar question, isn’t it? _

But Veronica laughs. As much as he misses her, wishes he could see her on random Tuesday nights to watch a movie or study together, he knows that Stanford is the best place for her right now. Her self-imposed price has been steep—no cases, no investigations. Logan never would have thought it possible for Veronica to give up that part of her. She’s worked hard to keep her tendencies in check and if he misses it a little, if he thinks she’s not being entirely true to herself, well, the girl he knew a year ago would have started a fight or run away at a joke about trust. New Veronica just laughs. 

He clears his throat. “I’ll be sure to start giving away secrets in their presence, just so they can report back to you.”

“I’d be impressed if I thought you had any secrets left that I don’t already know.” Her eyes twinkle and he tightens his arms around her, breathing in the scent of her vanilla shampoo. 

“I always want to impress you, Veronica. You’re at Stanford, remember? And you have a prestigious summer internship clerking for Morrison & Foerster. It’s really rare for them to take an undergrad. How many times lately has your dad tried to convince you that you’re too good for me?”

“None,” is her prompt reply but he’s not convinced. 

Standing, she pulls him out of the chair and locks her arms around his waist. 

“Does he know you’re here this weekend?”

“No,” Veronica looks at a button on his shirt, refusing to meet his eyes. “But you said you didn't want to share me, I thought it was best this way.” 

She gives him a sly grin. “Secrets are kinda hot, right? I promise I’m not keeping any from you. Now tell me all about your internship.”

Accepting her olive branch, he grabs her wrist and tugs her back down onto his lap. She’s right. Probably. The fact that he had never interacted with her dad since they started dating again was just a coincidence.

“When you’re home after finals, we should have your dad over for dinner.”

Veronica tenses at his words. “Yeah, okay. When does your internship start?”

Maybe it’s not a coincidence. Pretending like he doesn’t know what she’s doing, he grasps her deflection. 

“I have a week off after finals.” _ When you’re here _, he doesn’t add, doesn’t tell her that he specifically requested that week to be with her. He knows that would only overwhelm her. 

She doesn’t say anything, just rearranges herself so her back is pressed to his chest, wraps his arms around her. Her head rests on his chest as she contemplates the ocean view and he breathes in the scent of her. Their relationship has not been marked by peaceful moments but he thinks he could get used to this.

“Logan?” Veronica continues to stare at the waves, pounding the shore. “I really am proud of you. Not just for the internship but…” She waves her hand around, encompassing the house and view. “Everything.”

Turning, she kisses him. “I love your place. It’s great. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Pretty sure you invited yourself.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

“No, you asked if I was free and then just showed up.”

Laughing, she punches him—hard—in the arm. “I like to keep you on your toes.”

_ Good to know things will never get boring. _

* * *

“Good morning, Mr. Mars.” 

Veronica looks up as Logan holds his hand out to her father to shake. She scoots over on the sticky red vinyl booth at her father’s favorite diner. Logan slides in next to her and quickly kisses her cheek. 

Her finals had been brutal and her internship in Palo Alto starts in just a few days but it’s been good to be in Neptune. She spent her first night home at Logan’s—although her dad doesn’t know that—and she has been trying to keep things balanced between the two of them since, plus squeeze in quality BFF time with Mac and Wallace. She blames her mental haze after finals and her packed schedule for the fact that she consented to this boyfriend-father interaction. 

“Hi,” Logan whispers in her ear.

She finds his hand under the table and squeezes his fingers. 

“Hi yourself. Glad you could make it.”

“Of course.”

“So, Logan.” Her dad clears his throat. “What are your summer plans?”

Logan shifts slightly next to her, a small smile on his face. “I’m starting an internship at Gant Publishing next week.”

_ Oh, god. Is he trying to come across as smug? Because that’s totally the vibe he’s giving off. Maybe it’s that whole life of privilege thing. Maybe he can’t help it? _

She had been bluffing when she told Logan that her dad was fine with their relationship. Maybe they are just too similar—although neither would ever admit it—but they’ve never quite gotten along. She hoped that the long-distance nature of her relationship with Logan would solve this problem—Logan wasn’t around her dad much, after all. But it hadn’t helped. Now their interactions are stilted and since she isn’t in Neptune very often, they both resent the time she spends with the other.

Keith raises his eyebrows. “Oh, did you run around with the Gant kid in high school, what was his name, Veronica?”

“Casey,” she mumbles, surprised her dad remembered that. 

Logan stiffens next to her. “A little bit, I s’pose. I actually haven’t talked to Casey in years. I got the internship entirely on my own merits, without name dropping or exploiting a connection at all. Maybe a first for me.”

Logan gives a self-deprecating laugh but Veronica hears the edge under it.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not what my dad was implying.” She hurries to reassure him and smooth things over while she glares at her dad. _ That’s exactly what he was implying. _

“What sort of things will you get to do for the publishing house this summer?” Keith asks as their waiter sets down three plastic menus and refills their coffee, murmuring something about being back in a second. 

“Since it hasn’t started yet, I don’t really know.”

Keith glares at Logan’s flippant response and Veronica digs her elbow into her boyfriend’s ribs. 

_ Longest. Meal. Ever _.

“What did they tell you in your interview, Sweetie?” She tries not to grit her teeth.

“Sorry. I’m actually an editorial intern so while there’s probably a lot of coffee to fetch, I’ll report to the Managing Editor and help proofread manuscripts that they’ve already decided to publish. I think I may get to sit in on some meetings as they make publishing choices, too, which I’m really excited about.”

Keith gives Logan a level look across the table, surprise in his eyes. “Publishing choices are exciting?”

“Yeah, I’m interested to hear more about what sways editors, why they pick the manuscripts they do, stuff like that.”

_ See, Dad? Logan has hidden depths. _

“Well, I’ve mostly stuck to the true crime genre but it was an interesting process when I ventured into writing a few years ago.”

Veronica sighs internally with relief as her dad and her boyfriend actually start to engage in a civil conversation. 

_ Maybe there’s hope yet. _

* * *

“Wow, Veronica, it was so awesome today!” 

“Oh, yeah?” She adjusts her phone against her ear, glad to hear Logan’s voice. Settling on her bed, she lets his excitement wash over her, trying to drown her own unease and focus on his happiness. 

“I got to meet Rebecca Solnit today, she was amazing. I get to do some of the proofreading on her next book and, wow. It’s really good. It’s about—but hey, I’m monopolizing the conversation. How was your day?”

Veronica sighs and wiggles her toes, finally free of her pumps and pantyhose. “Yeah, it was…” She trails off, not sure how to describe what she’s feeling. 

“Are you okay? You sound...a little off.”

Logan’s perceptive, she shouldn’t be surprised he picked up on her mood even through the phone. But she’s not sure how she feels about things herself yet and putting it into words in her own head is hard enough. Speaking her doubts out loud is tantamount to admitting they are real. 

“Well, things have been...different than I expected,” she hedges, flipping over onto her stomach and tracing the patterns on her black and red mandala bedspread with her index finger. 

“Different at your internship? How so?” His concern sends an ache through her chest. She wishes she were there with him so he could put his arms around her, tell her a joke, feed her lasagna, do something so it’s not just her, alone with her thoughts.

“Tell me what you’re doing right now so I can picture it,” Veronica begs, trying to change the subject.

“I’m putting my feet up on the deck and enjoying my ocean view. Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”

She sighs. _ Deflection unsuccessful. _

“I don’t know, Logan. It’s just...I don’t really like it.”

Her words hang in the air as the silence stretches on. She rushes to fill it.

“I mean, the people have all been great. The work’s not boring, exactly. It’s challenging, and that’s good. But it’s not…” Trailing off, she flips onto her back and stares at a stain on the ceiling.

“It’s not something you’re passionate about?” he guesses.

“Well…the summer’s almost over and...I thought...”

It’s been eleven weeks, and all summer she kept thinking that her law internship would be more interesting if she just gave it a chance. But it’s gotten progressively harder to drag herself out of bed in the morning to go to work. She really had tried to keep an open mind, though, and force herself to like it. Deviating from her Life Plan is not an option.

“That’s okay, Veronica. The whole point of internships is to try stuff, right? So finding what you don’t like helps you narrow it down and figure out what you might want.”

_ I hadn’t thought of that. _

“But…” She doesn’t know what to say but she should probably make a token protest. Logan cuts her off, though.

“There’s other kinds of law besides corporate. Or even—do you like your psychology classes?”

His quick subject change leaves her without an answer. Psychology fits the bill as a pre-law major, a means to an end. It gets her into law school, which gets her a good job at a law firm. Being a lawyer is a respectable career, plus it plays to her strengths. Her dad really likes it. What more is there to consider?

“I mean, I guess?” Her answer is hesitant even to her own ears. “It’s, it’s interesting.” _ Kind of. _

“What do you like about it?”

“Finding out what makes people tick is the best part. But just studying it—it feels so clinical, detached. I thought that the law aspect of it would help me actually be involved, make a difference but…”

“So maybe not corporate law. Or maybe…” He trails off.

“What? What are you thinking?”

“What was your favorite class in high school?”

_ History hadn’t been bad. Until Mr. Rooks turned out to be a creep. English was okay, too. _But really, the thing she liked the most…

“Journalism.” 

Logan lets her sit in silence for a beat as she processes what he’s implying.

“But I can’t actually major in that. It’s not something that anyone makes a career out of.”

“Woodward and Bernstein would beg to differ.” 

“Well, yeah, but…”

She did like Journalism. The combination of investigating, writing, and taking pictures appealed to her. And the platform had potential power to make a difference. She remembers her high school expose on the D.E.A. that cleared Norris Clayton when he was framed for orchestrating bomb threats. _ That had actually been fun. A lot of fun. _

_ But it seems so...risky _. And New Veronica doesn’t take risks. She’s not sure she can explain that to Logan. So instead she says, “But I’m starting my junior year...isn’t it too late to change?”

“Wouldn’t that be better than having a job that you don’t like?”

She huffs, not able to come up with an argument for that. Now that he’s planted the idea in her mind, it’s starting to grow, to take shape and...she likes it.

“All I’m saying, Veronica, is that you should set up a meeting with your academic advisor. You told me that you’re taking a photography class in the fall. What if you offer to take pictures for the The Daily?”

_ One class couldn’t hurt _ . _ Right? _

* * *

“Logan, you’ll never believe it!” Veronica’s voice is breathless with excitement and he presses the phone closer to his ear to enjoy the sound of it.

“I, I had my first story published in The Daily,” she goes on in a rush. “I didn’t think it would amount to anything but I was taking some pictures and things just felt off, you know? So I did some digging and it turned into a whole expose!” 

Logan shifts, cradling the phone between his shoulder and cheek so his hands are free on the steering wheel. He smiles to himself, inordinately pleased to know something Veronica doesn’t. 

“That’s great, babe! I’m so proud of you.” And he is. Signing up for a photography class was a big step for Veronica and freelancing for the Stanford Daily was huge. “Have you told your dad about it yet?”

“Yep. His fatherly pride quickly won out over his worries about my career path, so that’s good.”

“So does that mean…?” He pauses, leaving his unspoken question about her major hanging in the air. 

“I haven’t done anything official yet but...I’m seriously considering changing my major to Journalism. It just, just feels right, I guess.”

Veronica had been practically bubbling over every time she’d talked to him this semester about her photography class and her work for the student newspaper. Psychology and law classes did not elicit the same response. Logan decided early on in their relationship that he wasn’t going to try to tell her what she should do, but it was obvious she wasn’t really passionate about what she was studying. 

When she had first transferred to Stanford she had been adamant about leaving her investigative tendencies behind in Neptune and he, of all people, understood the desire for a fresh start. But he had become more and more convinced that she was denying part of her nature. Above all else, he wanted Veronica to pick a career that made her happy. Hearing the excitement in her voice makes his chest ache with joy. 

He can't wait to see how happy his little surprise is about to make her. 

“So what are you doing?” he asks casually. “Have plans to celebrate with your friends tonight?”

Veronica laughs. “I hadn’t even thought about it. I’m just hanging out at home right now, I’ll probably see what the girls are up to later.”

Logan grabs the newspaper off the passenger seat and exits his car, careful to muffle the sounds so she doesn’t get suspicious. 

“Well, make sure you do something fun. I’ve gotta go, babe. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Logan…” She pauses. “Thanks for being so supportive.”

Before he can respond, she says goodbye and ends the call. Pocketing his phone, he heads up three flights of stairs. Then he grabs a pen from his pocket and knocks on the apartment door. 

“Logan!” Veronica’s eyes are wide as she flings open the door to her apartment. Her mouth gapes and he’s filled with smug pleasure. 

He holds out the newspaper and the pen. “Sorry to bother you, I desperately wanted to get this autographed.”

She tackles him, throwing her arms around him and laughing as she pulls him inside. 

“What? You…?”

Adorable in her jeans, fuzzy socks, and fitted grey t-shirt, Logan can’t wait another minute. He tilts her head up and kisses her deeply. 

She’s still breathless when they pull apart. “How did you even know?” 

Veronica gestures at the copy of the Stanford Daily that he dropped on the floor. 

Shrugging, he kisses her again. “I get it delivered.” 

“But—in print? How much does that cost?”

He can’t believe that’s what she’s fixated on. “Totally worth it.”

“And, and you’re here?” She fists her hands in his button-up, holding tight. He never wants her to let go. 

“I was so proud of you, I had to come congratulate you in person. Let me take you out to celebrate tonight,” he begs. 

“I just saw you a few weeks ago. Don’t you have tests to study for? A paper to write this weekend?”

“I brought homework with me. Maybe my investigative journalist girlfriend can help me.”

“That has a nice ring to it. Maybe I can.”

She smiles wide, showing her gums, and Logan’s heart is so full of happiness he thinks he might burst. He’s always known things with Veronica wouldn’t be easy but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to MarshmellowBobcat for teaching me the importance of correct spacing, beta'ing this for me, and writing the summary when I freaked out. She's the best and I'm so thankful for her!


End file.
